An Olympic Gymnast Was Sent Home for Partying in Rio

He previously got in trouble in 2009 after testing positive for cocaine.

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By Katie Dowd

Aug 10, 2016

Dutch gymnast Yuri van Gelder had his Olympic dream end early — and not because of a slip or fall of the physical variety.

The Dutch Olympic commission announced the 33-year-old athlete has been sent home after he was caught partying and drinking on Saturday night. Van Gelder owned up to it on Sunday and was immediately told to pack his bags.

"It was a very difficult decision for us to make," NOC spokesman Maurits Hendriks said in a statement. "This is terrible for Yuri, but at such a breach of the values within TeamNL, we have no other choice. We stand for excellence with respect to all agreements and rules. Our athletes have an exemplary standard and this behavior is absolutely unacceptable.

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"Yuri has left us no choice."

The NOC said van Gelder broke curfew, left the team without permission and violated "rules concerning alcohol consumption."

Van Gelder was going to compete in the men's rings finals, his signature event. Back home in the Netherlands, he's known as the "lord of the rings," but since his unfortunate partying fiasco, tabloid headlines have dubbed him "lord of the drinks."

Van Gelder also ran into trouble with the IOC in 2009 when he tested positive for cocaine.